Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-12-12


not proposed to entirely relieve the
country of this taxation. 1t must oe
extensively continued as the source
of the government income, and in a
reimbursement of our tariff the inter
ests of American labor engaged in
manufacture should be carefully con-
sidered, as well as the preservation
of our manufacturers. 1t may be
called protection or by any other
name, but relief from the hardships
and dangers of our present tariff
laws should be devised with especial
precaution against imperilling the ex-
istence of our manufacturing inter
ests. But this existence should not
mean a condition which, without re-
gard to the public welfare or ma
tional exigency, must insure the real
ization of immense profits instead Of
moderately profitable returns"
These remarks are followed by
long free trade argument, in which sta
tistics are used, which attempt to show
that while a few are benefited by
manufacturing interests, the masses
are suffering from import taxes on
manufactured goods.
A long paragraph is devoted to
talk, which means that tariff on
wool and wooden goods should be
reduced regardless of the wool and
sheep interest of the county. A
point against manufacturers is made
by referring to the fact that they
sometimes combine to force down
or to enhance the price of certain
articles by way of monopoly; the
argument is that if the tariff were so
cut as to let the world in with its
goods, such a state of affairs cannot
exist. The president has the follow
ing suggestions in regard to lifting
off some of the revenue taxes:
1.-The difficulty attending a wise
and fair revision of our tariff laws
is not under estimated. 1t will re-
quire, on the part of congress, great
labor and care, and especially a
broad and national contemplation Of
| the subject and a patriotic disregard
of such local and selfish claims as
are unreasonable and reckless Of the
welfare of the entire country. Under
our present laws more than four
thousand articles are subject to duty.
Many of these do not in any way
compete with our own manufactures,
and many are hardly worth attention
as subjects of revenue. a consid-
| cradle reduction can be made in the
aggregate by adding them to the free
| list. The taxation of luXuries pre-
sents no features Of hardship, but
the necessaries of life used and con-
sumed by all the people, the duty
upon which adds to the cost of living
in every home, should be greatly
cheapened. The radical reduction
of the duties imposed upon raw ma
terial used in manufacturers of It's
free importation is of course an i'm
| portant factor in an effort to reduce
the price of these necessaries. II
would not only relieve them from
the increased cost causod bv tariff
on such material, but the manufac-
ured product being thus cheapened,
that part of the tariff now laid upon
such product as a compensation to
our manufacturers for the present
price of raw material could be ac-
cordingly modified. Such reduc-
ton, or free importation, would serve
besides to largely reduce the revenue
1t is not apparent how such a change
can have any injurious effect upon
our manufacturers. On the contra
~, 1t would give them a better chance
in foreign markets with the manu-.
facturers of other countries, who
cheaper their wares by free materi-
al. Thus our people might have the
opportunity of extending their sale;
beyond the limits of home consump.
ton, saving them from the depres.
sion, interruption In business anG
loss caused by a glutted domestic
market and affording their employees
more certain and steady labor, will
its resulting quiet and contentment. >
1.-THE question thus imperatively
presented for solution should be ap-
preached in spirit higher than par.
tisanship and considered in the flight
of that regard for patriotic duty
which should characterize the action
of those interested with the zeal of 8
confding people, but the obligation
to declared party policy and princi-
pie is not wanting to urge prompt
and effective action. 1t is a condi-
{ ton which confronts us-not a the
DRY. Relief from this condition may
involve a slight reduction of the adj
, yantages which we award our home
productions, but the entire withdraw
al of such advantages should not be
contemplated. The question of free
trade is absolutely prevalent, and
: the persistent claim made in CERTAIN
quarters that all efforts to relieve
the people from unjust and unneces-
sary taxation are schemes of social.
ed free traders is mischieyous anC
far removed from any considerations
, for the public good. The simple and
plain duty which we owe the people
is to reduce taxation to the necessary
expenses of an economical operation